


Sacrifice and Consequence

by kitty_fic



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Community: hds_beltane, M/M, Magical Bond, Rituals
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-05-25
Updated: 2012-05-25
Packaged: 2018-04-19 16:10:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,104
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4752638
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kitty_fic/pseuds/kitty_fic
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Harry knows that this is his best chance to set an injustice from the war right. He's prepared to harness the magic of Beltane for a complex ritual and he's determined to succeed - turns out so is Draco Malfoy. What can Harry do when Malfoy is blocking his path every step of the way?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Sacrifice and Consequence

**Author's Note:**

> Originally published May 25, 2012 on [Livejournal](http://hds-beltane.livejournal.com/116555.html) as part of the hds-beltane fest.
> 
> * * *
> 
>  **Betaed by:** tryslora, and shudhavbinjamie. So many thanks for your help and thank you so much lady_of_clunn for britpicking!  
>  **Author's Note:** Dearest masteroftrouble, I tried very hard to include as many of your prompts as I could. This story changed and evolved so many times as I was writing it. I really hope you enjoy where it ended up! A million and one thanks to drarryxlover who held my hand and encouraged me every step of the way and to queenie_mab an awesome cheerleader and writing partner who kept me motivated! I adore you both and couldn't have done it without you! And of course, much love to thisgirl_is, our ever patient mod  <3!

"Are you sure you want to do this, Harry?"

There were actually few things that Harry was surer about. Of course, there were many things about the war that had been horribly unfair. They had all lost too many loved ones, but after the grieving was done and after everything that Harry had learned, there was still one injustice that Harry couldn't stand for - one thing that kept him from sleeping at night - and he was determined to make it right.

"I'm sure," he assured her.

"This is very unstable magic that you'll be working with," Hermione insisted.

"I realise that, but I know I can do this, Hermione. Please. I have to try."

"I know, Harry," she nodded. "I do believe that if anyone can do this, it's you." She leaned over and hugged him tight.

"Thanks for understanding, Hermione." Harry was grateful for a friend like Hermione. Even now, she was always there for him.

"So, do you want to tell me what you have planned?" she asked.

"Um, well..." Harry ran a hand through his hair. "I just know that Beltane is my best chance. And I found the spell that I'll need to use." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a crumpled piece of parchment and handed it to her.

Hermione took the parchment, looking it over as she rattled off more information about Beltane. "Yes, that's right. It's the perfect time, as the veil between the worlds is thinner. Beltane is a time of innate magic, rebirth, and new beginnings after all."

"Yeah, I thought I could erect a Maypole and maybe place some flowers around a well. Water helps with life and such things. I don't have much of a plan other than that." He shrugged his shoulders sheepishly.

"Oh, Harry! Honestly!" She rolled her eyes in exasperation. "You're thinking too much like a Muggle. First, you'll need to think about what it is you're trying to accomplish and how to get the magic to work for you and not against you."

Harry nodded.

"Whatever you do, you have to stay positive. Beltane magic can have strange reactions to negative energy and it will do everything in its power to turn the negative to positive. There are also the elements to consider," she tapped his crumpled parchment with one finger. "And symbolisms of course." She reached into her bag, pulled out another roll of parchment with a quill and started jotting down notes. "I'll do some research and get the books you'll need."

"Thanks. You're the best!" Harry smiled brightly.

\-----

Draco stepped out of the Floo. He had been here only once before, after he had fled from Hogwarts in his sixth year, and he was relieved to find that he was still keyed into the wards. It would make this so much easier that way.

He dusted the soot from his robes and straightened up to his full height again. Raising his head to look over his surroundings, he was surprised to find that he wasn't alone. Quickly, he reached for his wand, fingers wrapping around it, before he registered that the _intruder_ was none other than Harry Potter.

"What are you doing here?" Potter asked, looking up at him with a scowl, his own wand drawn.

"What am _I_ doing here?" Draco scowled in return. "The question is, what are _you_ doing here?"

"I need something," Harry stated simply.

"Care to be more specific, Potter?"

"No," Harry shook his head. "Not really."

"You don't have any business here," Draco said.

Potter had no right to be here. How had he even got inside? Draco couldn't imagine that many people had access to this place, _especially_ not Harry Potter.

"Not anymore, I don't. I've found what I came for." Potter held up a vial.

"Wait! What is that?" Draco reached out and grabbed Potter's arm to get a better view of the bottle. "Is that - is that what I think it is?

"I don't know what you think it is, now do I?"

"That's the blood sample that I came to collect! How did you even find out about that?" He couldn't imagine what Potter needed with such a thing, but he knew beyond a doubt that he couldn't allow him to have it. He reached out, trying to grab it out of Potter's hand.

"What are you doing, you berk?!" Potter yelled at him and backed away.

Draco followed, reaching for it again but accidentally knocked it out of his grasp instead.

Nimble fingers reached for the vial in an attempt to catch it.

"Don't let it break! I need that!" Draco lunged for the tiny jar also. Even though he knew he was too far away. Potter was his only hope. He hated to admit it, but in that split second, he hoped that Potter's years of experience as a Seeker would serve him well once more.

"You can't have it! I found it first." Potter's hand closed around the sample as he fell backwards, arse first onto the hard floor.

Draco tumbled down after him, landing flush against Potter's chest, still struggling to get his hands on the item. His hand closed around Potter's, refusing to let go until he was the one in possession of the vial. This was the only one known to exist and he had to have it if his spell was to succeed.

He struggled against Potter's grip in an attempt to free the bottle from his hand, but the more he moved, the more it seemed they were just writhing against each other. Draco went still.

Tearing his eyes from their clasped hands, Draco focused back on Potter's face. He hadn't realised just how close they were or the fact that he was lying flat on top of Potter, their faces mere inches apart.

Draco had never been this close to Potter before. It was almost surreal. The first coherent thought he had was that he had never noticed just how green Potter's eyes were. They were as deep and rich in colour as emeralds. The way the light sparkled off of them, they seemed to glow from within.

He could feel Potter's chest heaving beneath him, as he gasped for air. Pressed together from head to toe, frozen, face to face, they stared at one another for a long moment until finally, Draco snapped back to reality.

He took advantage of Potter's distraction to yank the vial out of his hand. A wave of relief crashing over him as his fingers closed around it.

Separating his body from Potter's, he quickly rose to his feet once more and Disapparated, with emerald green still burned into his vision.

He barely heard Potter's curse as he disappeared but he couldn't be bothered. The only thing that mattered was that he had what he had come for.

\-----

Harry shuffled through the vials on the apothecary shelves, searching for powdered Graphorn's horn. He'd never heard of it before, let alone had any idea what it looked like - other than it was powdered obviously. Apparently, it was rare, but the shopkeeper had confirmed that they had it in stock and given him a vague description of what to look for and where, though he'd had no luck finding it yet. He was beginning to doubt that he would.

Harry heard steps behind him, but he ignored them, assuming it was just another customer. He kept his focus on his search instead.

"Potter," a familiar voice sounded behind him. _Malfoy_. Again.

Harry frowned, answering without bothering to turn around. "What are you doing here? Haven't you done enough damage to my plans already? You bloody well stole that sample of blood from me and you know it. Do you have any idea the kind of adjustments I've had to make to my spell?"

"I don't know what you're talking about. Besides, you're the one that's been following me!"

"I am not following you, you Slytherin git!"

"You are! You're following me!" Draco insisted.

"That doesn't even make sense! How can I be following you, when I was here first?"

Draco sidled up next to him, bumping him with his shoulder as he did. Harry scowled at him before going back to his search.

Harry didn't know what Draco was up to or why they kept running into each other but he hadn't been able to get Draco off his mind since their last meeting. His mind continuously drifted back to the way it had felt having Draco's body pressed against his. He'd known for a while that he was attracted to both men and women, but he'd never had another man quite so close. He didn't really understand how Malfoy of all people could evoke such intense feelings from him. They were supposed to hate each other after all.

Harry shrugged to himself, as he studiously ignored Draco, his fingers never stopping their hunt as they flipped through vial after vial of potions ingredients. Draco moved alongside him and started flipping through the vials as well. Each moment that passed, Harry grew more uncomfortable and more desperate in his search.

The fact that he was already on edge by Draco's proximity and the reminder of their last meeting wasn't helping Harry's nerves. Nor the way Draco's arm was so casually brushing against his. Or the fact that he was standing so close that their hips grazed one another and he could feel the heat coming off the other man's body.

Draco hadn't said exactly what he was looking for but Harry continued to grow more and more uneasy, afraid of a repeat of their last encounter. What if they were searching for the same ingredient again? When their fingers brushed one another on the shelf, Harry jerked back like he had been burned. Draco merely raised an eyebrow at him in reply.

Draco stealing the sample of blood had already set him back considerably and he'd had to make unexpected changes to the ritual he was planning. He couldn't afford to be distracted now and he definitely couldn't afford to let the powdered Graphorn slip through his fingers as well. He had to get a hold of himself.

Finally, he spotted a vial labeled _Graphorn_ and his fingers closed around it. "Aha!" Harry crowed as he held up the bottle of powder.

Draco lunged for it but Harry spun out of his reach, a large grin stretching across his face as he twirled away from Draco.

"No way, Malfoy! This one is mine!" Harry rushed to the front of the store to make his purchase ignoring Draco as he called his name behind him.

\-----

Harry paced outside of the Room of Requirement. He needed a place to prepare for the ritual and he thought that this could be exactly what he needed. The problem was that he wasn't sure what he would find or if the room had repaired itself enough to provide him with an acceptable place to meet his needs. He concentrated on the image in his mind as he walked past the space for the third time and hoped that the door would appear.

Months of planning all came down to this one night. He had one shot and he didn't want to think about what it would mean if he failed. No, failure was not an option. He smiled when the door materialized in front of him.

Harry grinned as he pushed the door open. Hogwarts magic really was brilliant. His smile faltered when he saw a shock of white-blond hair. Malfoy was leaning over a workbench, intently.

"You again, Malfoy? Why can't I escape you?" Harry groaned. He wished he could say that he was surprised, but really why should he be? Draco had invaded every other aspect of his planning. Why should this be any different?

Draco looked up and the look on his face expressed the same displeasure that Harry was feeling.

Harry came up behind Draco, looking over his shoulder at the books, parchment and ingredients spread out across the table. He spotted the vial of blood and just as he was about to grab it, Draco scooped it up and tucked it away in his pocket.

"Don't even think about it, Potter."

"Bloody thief," Harry grumbled.

"Sore loser," Malfoy returned.

Harry watched as Draco flipped through the pages of a spell book. Draco reached up to push a strand of hair away from his forehead and Harry wondered how soft his hair felt. He fought off the urge to reach up and touch it. He hated to admit it, but Draco was rather attractive and it had been no hardship to have Draco's lithe body pressed up against him - or it wouldn't have been if he had been any fit bloke other than Draco-sodding-Malfoy.

"Why are you even here, Potter?" Draco asked, pulling Harry back from his very disturbing thoughts.

"Not that it's any of your business, but I'm here for the Beltane Celebration. Same as you, I imagine."

"Yes, but why are you _here_ , in this room?"

Harry didn't bother answering. Instead, his attention was caught by the other ingredients lined up on the table and his eyes darted over the page of the book that Draco was currently reading.

"Wait a minute!" Harry grabbed the book from the table. "What is this? Wh-where did you get it? Why do you have it?" He had so many thoughts rolling around in his head, he could barely keep up. The idea that Draco was working on the same thing was disconcerting to say the least. "This is my spell!"

"I somehow doubt you created this spell, Potter." Draco sneered.

"No, you idiot. I mean it's why I needed that blood! We're working on the same spell. We even have all the same basic ingredients. Except..." Harry furrowed his brow in confusion. "What's that?" He pointed at one item lined up with the rest that he didn't recognize.

"It's my sacrifice, Potter."

"Sacrifice?" Harry asked.

"Yes. Magic such as this requires a sacrifice - something important to you - something you are willing to give up to get the thing you want more."

"It does?"

"Merlin's beard! Don't you know anything?" Draco scoffed. "You have to give something to get something in return. It's like a trade."

"Oh..." Harry frowned.

Draco laughed. "Looks like it's over before you've even started. You may as well go home now and leave the complicated magic to the rest of us."

"Don't worry! I'll think of something!" Harry reached into his pocket and pulled out a crumpled piece of parchment with his own copy of the ritual printed on it. He didn't know how he could have missed something so big.

"Didn't Granger tell you about the sacrifice? We all know she does all the thinking for the three of you anyway."

"Shut up! Just shut up. I'm trying to think." Harry had absolutely no idea what he could use as his sacrifice. He needed to think, but that was becoming increasingly more difficult with Draco spouting off at him. He turned away from Draco, hunching over his notes, trying to concentrate.

"Of course, if either of you were a pureblood and raised with the proper magical training, you would already know these things.

"Merlin's beard, do you ever shut up?" Harry rolled his eyes. "I've got to go. I can't concentrate with you blathering on."

Draco's mocking laughter followed him out of the room.

\-----

Harry's mind whirled, considering his plan again and again as he went over the many aspects of Beltane. Being raised in the Muggle world, this was all new to him, but he had learned so much about the holiday in such a short time while he had prepared for this night. Earlier that morning, he had stopped by the Beltane Fires near the Quidditch Pitch to talk to Hagrid and he'd had the opportunity to help drive the school's animals between the fires three times, cleansing them and ensuring their fertility in the coming summer.

After that, he'd walked the school over, looking for a private place away from the crowds that would be gathered there later that night. He needed a suitable place to complete the ritual, away from prying eyes. He had eventually chosen a place on the opposite side of the lake, at the edge of the forest.

Harry placed five small stones in a circle around a cauldron. So lost was he in thought as he transfigured each of the stones into a well that Harry didn't realise that Draco had stepped up next to him. He had noticed the git earlier, watching him from afar, but Harry had done everything in his power to ignore him.

Unfortunately, at this moment, that was proving harder than he could have imagined. Especially since he hadn't actually been able to stop thinking about Draco since this had all begun, and it wasn't helping that the prat turned up everywhere that Harry needed to be.

Draco sauntered up next to him and bumped into Harry, knocking him roughly to the side and nearly making him fall over as he pointed his wand at the fourth stone.

Harry righted himself and rolled his eyes but finally glanced over at Draco who was smirking at him.

"What are you doing here? And why are you wearing flowers in your hair?" Harry snorted, his frustration turning to amusement at Draco's expense.

Okay, so it wasn't exactly flowers, but Harry had never seen anything quite like it. Malfoy had thin branches and small flowers woven into his hair. Chains and wreaths of flora adorned his neck and wrists. Mostly, Harry thought he looked like a prat - except that Malfoy actually looked rather fetching. Harry groaned. He was so screwed.

"I'll have you know that Beltane celebrates the height of Spring and the flowering of life. It's symbolism, Potter. And it's an important aspect of the spell I'm working on."

"Well you look like an idiot."

"Shut up!" Draco scowled. "I don't care what you think. I'm preparing for an important magical experiment and I'm here because I need this space, Potter."

"No way!" Harry exclaimed. "I was here first. Get lost, Malfoy."

Harry turned back to his work, the bells on his trousers jingling as he moved.

"How is it that you can make fun of me when you have bloody bells all over you." Draco laughed.

"They aren't all over." Harry frowned. "And it was Hermione's idea," he mumbled. "The bells are supposed to greet the May Day spirits and attract helpful fae. Oh, never mind! I don't know why I'm even bothering to explain this to you. Just... just shut up, Malfoy."

Harry chose to ignore him and turned back, concentrating and focusing his magic as he transfigured the fifth and last well from the small stone. After he had finished the transfiguration, Harry directed his wand into each the well and called forth water from the earth. Once that was done, he set about decorating the wells with wreaths and garlands of newly-gathered flowers. Upon Hermione's urging, he had chosen daisies for luck, chrysanthemums for life, and he had incorporated cuttings of a juniper tree for its healing and cleansing properties. He only hoped that it would be enough. He arranged them in a vividly colored mosaic that he hoped was tasteful in design.

"I don't know what you think you're doing to that well, but it looks hideous, Potter," Draco sneered. "You may as well give up now and just get out of my way."

Harry had been so focused on his task that he had nearly forgotten that Draco was still there, watching him. He turned around, narrowing his eyes at him. "It's not going to happen, Malfoy. Why can't you just go away and leave me alone?"

"I can't! It has to be now!" Draco insisted. "The power of Beltane is necessary to increase the magic and the odds of success."

Harry sighed. "Then why don't you just move over there, start your work and try to stay out of my way." Harry turned around again and simply waved his hand, shooing Draco away.

"Did you just shoo me, Potter?"

"Yeah, maybe." Harry snorted. "Now, go away."

"I'm not one of your adoring fans. You can't just dismiss me and expect me to go. Besides, this is the best place. The magic is the strongest here."

"It is?" Harry looked pleased.

"Yes. Wait a minute. Why are you asking me? Isn't that why you chose it?" Draco asked.

"No, not really. Er... maybe? It just felt right." Harry shrugged.

"It just felt right," Draco mimicked him. "Felt right, says the _speccy git_ ," he mumbled under his breath. "Merlin, you're so annoying," Draco sneered at him.

"Shut up, Malfoy."

"I'm serious, Potter! I'm running out of time. Get out of my way and take your bloody wells elsewhere. This is where I'm going to build my Beltane fire."

"Fire," Harry mumbled. "Why didn't I think of that?"

The truth was that he was still a bit anxious around fire. Harry found it surprising to say the least that Draco didn't feel the same way after their shared history.

He glanced back over at Draco just as Draco raised his wand and pointed it at the first well and cast a spell. Suddenly, the well was engulfed in a bright flame.

Harry cried out in outrage as he watched the fire surge higher, then die down to only a circle of flames, leaving stones and flowers both seemingly unharmed in the process.

"Well, that was unexpected." Draco scowled.

"You're such a git, Malfoy. I can't believe you did that!"

"It was supposed to burn your well to a crisp, not set it inside a ring of fire." He furrowed his pale brow.

"I don't care what you planned and I'm certainly not surprised that you cocked it up. I only care that your bloody fire is in my way. Now make it go away so that I can finish preparing my wells."

"Or you'll do what, Potter?" Draco stepped closer to Harry - too close - staring at him in challenge.

Harry took a step back, but Draco pressed forward, following him. When the back of Harry's knees bumped into the side of a well, Harry reached out and shoved Draco away. He didn't expect Draco to push him back again.

For a brief moment, Harry teetered backwards into the well and he scrambled, reaching out for something to hold onto. His fists gathered in the material of Draco's robes as he fought to regain his balance and Harry found himself pressed chest to chest with Draco _again_. Harry felt a surge of magic flow through his body, sending a shiver down his spine.

"What are you going to do, Potter? Kiss me?" Draco smirked.

"Do you ever shut up?"

"Not if I can help it."

"Just shut up, Malfoy."

Harry felt a strong magnetic pull towards Draco and he leaned forward the last few inches and pressed their lips together. What started as a fight for dominance quickly turned softer. Draco's mouth parted willingly, accepting Harry's tongue.

Harry didn't know exactly what made him kiss Draco or what had possessed Draco to return his kiss. Nor did he care at the moment. Harry vaguely remembered Hermione saying something about Beltane magic reacting badly to negative energy but when Draco pressed closer to Harry's body and his arms came up around Harry's neck, fingers tangling in his hair, Harry decided he really didn't want to think about Hermione anymore.

Warmth spread up Harry's spine as he leaned further into the kiss, pulling Draco closer. Harry balanced himself against the stone well and opened his thighs, guiding Draco between them. His hands tightened on Draco's waist when he felt the press of Draco's erection against his own and he groaned into the kiss.

"Do you feel that?" Draco moaned against Harry's mouth.

Reluctantly, Harry pulled back, releasing Draco's lips. Their bodies were still pressed together and Harry had to resist thrusting his hips forward in search of more friction.

"Feel what?" Harry asked with a whimper when Draco shifted forward, grinding his hardness against Harry's.

"The magic... It's swirling up around us."

Harry looked around, and found that instead of only the first well being circled by flame, there was now a ring of fire around each of the first three wells.

"Did we do that?" Harry asked with awe.

"I don't know. Maybe?" Draco replied.

"This is my chance! I have to complete the ritual now." Harry pushed Draco away and reached for his wand.

"Wait, Potter! I can't believe I'm saying this but we may as well work together." Draco looked nervous and sounded unsure of himself. "If we combine our efforts, we have a better chance of pulling this off."

Harry furrowed his brow at Draco in disbelief. "Are you really suggesting that we work together?" He didn't want to admit it, but he was secretly relieved. Draco seemed more knowledgeable about the ritual that they were attempting. He seemed to have all the answers. Not to mention the blood sample.

"Don't make me say it again, Potter."

"No, no, you're right." Harry nodded.

Draco rolled his eyes but Harry thought he looked a bit relieved as well.

"That might work." Harry continued. "Besides you have the blood sample and I have the Graphorn," he grinned. "Of course, I found an alternative that should work, and I assume that you did too, but if we combine our efforts and share supplies there's no way we could fail."

They quickly moved around, collecting the things that they needed. Draco went to work at the cauldron and began mixing the ingredients together.

"Hey, Potter?"

"Yeah?"

"How did you know about the blood sample anyway, not to mention how to access it?" Draco asked as he upended the vial of blood into the cauldron, hoping against hope that it wouldn't be wasted since that was the last of its kind in existence.

"McGonagall," Harry said with a grin. "She said it would be well protected and it definitely was. I still can't believe you stole that from me. Do you have any idea what I had to do to get it? You wouldn't believe the wards that were set around it."

Draco laughed as he stirred the potion counter clockwise eight times and then the opposite for another eight. "Yeah, I would."

Harry came up behind him, dropping a feather into the cauldron over his shoulder.

"Wha-- What are you doing, Potter?" Draco's rhythm faltered but he quickly recovered and completed the second eight count. "What the bloody hell was that? If you just screwed this up, I'm going to kill you."

"Don't worry. I know what I'm doing. It's a phoenix feather," Harry answered. "A symbol of new life."

"Oh." Draco stared at him for a long moment and then nodded his head. "Well done, Potter."

Harry grinned at him. "Thanks, Malfoy."

They stared at one another, for a moment too long, until Draco looked up at the fire and turned thoughtful again.

The fire had sprung up around the fifth and final well. "The healing power of the well-water combined with the protection and purification power of the fire... it's the best chance we have. We'll have to cast the spells together. Timing is everything. Don't screw this up, Potter."

"Stop talking and hurry before we miss our only chance at this." Harry stepped up next to Draco, and handed him the vial. "Here, we have to drink this."

Draco and Harry each took a drink of the potion in turn and pulled matching faces of disgust at the taste.

Wand in hand, pointing it towards the first well, Draco said, "First, the symbol for earth."

Harry raised his wand as well and together in perfect harmony they traced the symbol in the air, watching as it appeared above the first well.

One after another, they cast the spells for wind, water, and fire for the next three wells. For each one, the symbols for the corresponding element appeared shining brightly above. They raised their wands in preparation for the last symbol when suddenly Harry stalled.

"Wait! What about the sacrifice? I don't have one. Did you do yours already?" His heart beat thunderously in his chest. He didn't know what he would do if he had ruined it all by forgetting one simple thing. "I'm sorry Draco... I've ruined it, haven't I?"

"Calm down, Potter." Draco stepped closer, his arms coming up around Harry's neck again, fingers sliding easily into the hair at the nape of Harry's neck and pulling him closer. He pressed himself close to Harry, aligning their bodies chest to chest. "Answer me this: Do you still hate me?"

"What? What are you talking about?" Harry frowned. "I don't really think this is the time to talk about that. We have to finish the ritual." Harry glanced nervously back at the four symbols still floating in the air.

"Just answer the question, _Harry_." Draco leaned forward and fit their lips to one another.

"No," Harry whispered against Draco's mouth. "I don't hate you at all."

"I don't hate you either. I think I might even like you." Draco said with a smile. He pulled back, putting a bit of space between them and looked at Harry, seriously. "We've worked together. We've got along. And we've put aside our differences, giving up our hatred for one another. I'd say that's a fitting sacrifice for a spell such as this, wouldn't you? What better sacrifice could the magic ask for?"

Harry looked amazed. "Does it really work like that?"

"Yes, it really does. Now shut up and kiss me so that we can finish this."

Harry touched his lips to Draco's, sliding his tongue against Draco's parted lips until their tongues tangled together. They stayed like that, kissing, enjoying the taste of each other, until Draco broke the connection, pressing his forehead to Harry's.

"Are you ready?" He raised his wand with one hand and gripped Harry's hand in his other.

Harry raised his wand to match, squeezing Draco's hand tightly. "I'm ready."

Together they cast the fifth and final symbol for _soul_ , and it shone brightly over the well just like the others.

With all five symbols now in place, the air around them shifted and Harry felt magic swirling against his skin, soaking into his pores. He clung to Draco's hand as his hair whipped against his face, unsure of what exactly to expect. He could feel the magic all around, drawing on them as a power source.

"It's working!" Harry had to yell to be heard over the roaring winds. "Now, what do we do?"

"Just wait," Draco commanded.

The ground beneath their feet started to shake as rocks and dirt flew up and forward forming a mountain of earth right in front of them. They both jumped back when it burst into flames leaving a wall of fire at least twelve feet tall in its place.

The wind around them had gone completely still, leaving only the sweltering heat from the fire. Harry felt sweat bead up on his forehead and he brushed his hair back with one hand.

"What's happening now? I feel like we should do something."

"Wait," Draco squeezed Harry's hand.

The flame wall slid open like a curtain, and a limp form stumbled through it.

"It worked!" Harry shouted as he rushed forward to catch Severus Snape as he fell through the curtain of fire unharmed and collapsed into his arms. Every inch of the man was wet and he was sputtering and gagging, coughing up water as Harry patted his back, encouraging him to breathe again.

"Of course it worked, Potter. Don't look so surprised," Draco said with a smirk.

"Shut it, you git! Get over here and help me. He's heavy! And he's soaking wet. We've got to get him to the infirmary."

Draco stepped forward to help Harry support Severus' weight between them as they made their way to the hospital wing of Hogwarts.

\-----

 

When Severus woke, he could hear voices. It took him a moment to focus through the pain in his lungs to ascertain where he was, but the familiar smell of the Hogwarts infirmary quickly gave itself away.

The voices took a moment longer, but he soon recognised the voice of Draco Malfoy. He was surprised to find that the youngest Malfoy was speaking in hushed tones to none other than Harry Potter.

Severus slowly opened his eyes, blinking under the torch light. Potter and Draco sat side by side near his bed. He watched them for a moment, listening intently as they spoke in hushed but excited tones about the ritual they had performed, detailing what they had expected as well as the unexpected results.

He didn't pretend to understand all the details of what had happened between them, but it was obvious that any animosity they had before was now gone. It was also evident that it was because of them that he was here. His hand went up to his neck, feeling for the snake bite and finding only a slightly raised scar in its place.

It was Draco who noticed his movement first. "Severus! You're awake!? How do you feel?" The boy rose to his feet, and stepped closer to the bed, Potter close behind him.

Severus knew that neither of them had a full grasp on what had happened - or the kind of magic they had been playing around with. With one poorly planned ritual they had forever changed the fate of all of them and yet they were completely unaware.

"Do you have any idea what you have done, you idiots?" Severus tried to push himself up into a sitting position, but he fell onto his back again, coughing and rubbing at his head.

"We saved you, you arse!" Potter scoffed then looked over to Draco for support. "Not that I really expected you to be grateful at all."

Severus should have expected Potter to react defensively.

Draco stepped closer to Severus' bed. "I thought it's what you would have wanted."

"I am immensely grateful that you have found a way to bring me back to the world of the living, Draco, but must you have done it in such a Gryffindorish manner? How much time exactly have you been spending with Potter since I've been gone?"

Severus briefly wondered exactly _how long_ he had been gone.

Draco blushed and looked down at his feet. "You have no idea," he muttered.

Colour filled Potter's face, a red tint rising over his cheeks and he refused to meet either of their eyes.

Severus exhaled and rolled his eyes. "Well that explains so much. Though I really wish you hadn't dragged me into whatever this is between the two of you."

"I still don't understand what you're talking about!" Potter scowled at him. "Dragged you into what? The land of the living? Stop speaking in riddles and just explain what the problem is already, would you?"

Severus reached out and grabbed Potter's arm in one hand, yanking up the sleeve of his shirt. "This, Potter," he snarled as he tapped one long, potion-stained finger to the inside of Harry's forearm. His previously unmarked skin now held a phoenix with its wings outstretched.

Harry eyes went wide and he reached out to grab Draco's arm and yanked his sleeve up as well.

"Watch it, Potter! That shirt costs more than your entire wardr - "

Draco was cut off mid-rant as his arm was revealed. There should have been a dark mark there on Draco's pale arm - or there would have been - if there wasn't now a phoenix instead.

Severus chose that moment to hold out his own forearm displaying the matching symbol.

"What does it mean?" Harry gasped.

"If my calculations are correct, from what I have been able to gather about the ritual that you two have performed, then my guess is that you have inadvertently bonded the three of us together."

"Bonded?" Harry choked.

"What kind of bond?" Draco asked.

Severus pinned them both with his worst glare. "If I am not mistaken, I would say that it is roughly equivalent to a marriage bond."

Harry's body tensed and his knees wobbled under his weight. "I think I need to sit down." His eyes met Draco's in shocked realisation of what they had done as he stumbled backwards and fell into the chair again.


End file.
